Report Claims Global War on Drugs 'Has Failed'

The Global Commission on Drug Policy claims that the war waged on drugs has failed. The 19-member panel -- which includes former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz and leaders from Mexico, Columbia and Brazil -- is demanding the legalization of some drugs and an end to drug arrests.

"Political leaders and public figures should have the courage to articulate publicly what many of them acknowledge privately: that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that repressive strategies will not solve the drug problem, and that the war on drugs has not, and cannot, be won," the report said.

The commission was hypercritical of America's drug policy and suggested that it "abandon anti-crime approaches to drug policy and adopt strategies rooted in healthcare and human rights."

Despite a U.S. presence on the panel, officials in America aren't buying the theory. "Drug addiction is a disease that can be successfully prevented and treated," said a spokesman for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Making drugs more available -- as this report suggests -- will make it harder to keep our communities healthy and safe."

Both sides have valid points. While arresting a whole bunch of people for petty drug charges is not the solution, neither is having a complete hands-off approach. The fact is, we will never win the war on drugs. It will always be an issue, but we can find a new way to fight it that doesn’t involve spending millions of dollars on a broken system that disproportionately affects our community.